09 SB27/AP
Senate
Bill 27
By:
Senators Bulloch of the 11th, Heath of the 31st, Hill of the 4th, Pearson of the
51st, Powell of the 23rd and others
AS
PASSED
AN
ACT
To
amend Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to holidays and observances, so as to create Confederate Heritage and History
Month; to provide for legislative findings; to encourage observances and
celebrations of Confederate Heritage and History Month; to provide for statutory
construction; to amend Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50, relating to other
state symbols, so as to provide that the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum
shall be an official state historical civil rights museum; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
WHEREAS,
Savannah has a long and storied role in the civil rights movement, beginning
with a meeting between General Sherman and Secretary of War Stanton and twelve
Black leaders on January 12, 1865, to discuss the matter of emancipation;
and
WHEREAS,
the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, recently named "Georgia's Best New
History Museum" by the Georgia Journal, is named in honor of the late Dr. Ralph
Mark Gilbert. The father of Savannah's modern day Civil Rights Movement and
fearless National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
leader was known for much more than his outspoken campaigns for civil rights.
He was a nationally known orator, pulpiteer, and playwright, producing religious
dramas, known as passion plays, throughout the country; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Gilbert served as pastor of historic First African Baptist Church on
Franklin Square in Savannah for 16 years. In 1942, he reorganized the Savannah
Branch NAACP, served as president for eight years and convened the first state
conference. Branches from Savannah, Brunswick, Dublin, Atlanta, Columbus,
Macon, Albany and three other branches whose identities are uncertain, attended
and elected Rev. Ralph Mark Gilbert president. Under his courageous leadership,
more than forty NAACP branches were organized in Georgia by 1950;
and
WHEREAS,
Georgia's best new history museum chronicles the civil rights struggle of
Georgia's oldest African American community from slavery to the present. Three
floors of handsome photographic and interactive exhibits, includes an NAACP
Organization exhibit, a fiber optic map of 87 significant civil rights
sites/events, a lunch counter where "sit ins" occurred, segregation exhibits,
and video presentation are all part of the continuous education of the public on
the history of the civil rights struggle in Savannah and Georgia. The museum is
located in historic Savannah in a five level building that was erected in 1914
as the Wage Earners Savings and Loan Bank for Black Savannahians, the largest
Black bank in the country at that time.
SECTION
2.
Chapter
4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to holidays and
observances, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as
follows:
"1-4-20.
(a)
The General Assembly hereby finds and determines that tourism is a great
economic resource in Georgia; and historical, heritage, and cultural inheritance
are among the tourism industry's most popular attractions. Georgia's
Confederate heritage, physical artifacts and battle sites, and historic events
and persons not only attract visitors, they are potentially of even greater
importance and benefit to our state's economy. Increased development of our
state's Confederate history and heritage as part of the tourism industry will be
enhanced through recognizing, celebrating, and advertising that heritage and
history.
(b)
The month of April of each year is hereby designated as Confederate History and
Heritage Month and shall be set aside to honor, observe, and celebrate the
Confederate States of America, its history, those who served in its armed forces
and government, and all those millions of its citizens of various races and
ethnic groups and religions who contributed in sundry and myriad ways to the
cause which they held so dear from its founding on February 4, 1861, in
Montgomery, Alabama, until the Confederate ship CSS
Shenandoah
sailed into Liverpool Harbor and surrendered to British authorities on November
6, 1865.
(c)
Officials and departments of state, county, and municipal governments, boards of
education, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities,
businesses, and all citizens are encouraged to participate in programs,
displays, and activities that commemorate and honor our shared history and
cultural inheritance throughout each April during Confederate History and
Heritage Month."
SECTION
3.
Article
3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50, relating to other state symbols, is amended by
adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"50-3-85.
The
Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum is designated an official Georgia
historical civil rights museum."
SECTION
4.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.